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Evolution of Electronic Digital Computers in a nutshell


Although the development of computers in its present form started around 1940s, the art of efficient computing goes back to the ninth century and we must know that the word computers was used to mean persons with expertise in computing. The word ultimately encompassed machines also. The efficiency of computing depends in many cases on the algorithm or the logical sequence followed.
 The word ‘Algorithm’ comes from the name of the ninth century Persian mathematician Mohammad ibn Musa Al-Khawarizmi. Abacus helped to solve simple arithmetic in the old days.
In 17th century, the French mathematician Blaise Pascal built a mechanical device to perform addition automatically. The operation was embedded in the configuration of gears within the machine. The German mathematician Gottfried Leibnitz, the co-inventor of calculus along with Newton, argued for a universal language to calculate any problem.
In early 19th century, the French engineer Joseph Jacquard designed and constructed a machine that automated the process of weaving in looms. The British mathematician Charles Babbage designed a model with remarkable resemblance to modern day computers. In late 19th century, Herman Hollerith, a US statistician designed a machine which could automate data processing for US census.

Atanasoff-Berry Computer
In 19th century, the British school teacher, George Boole developed the system of logic based on TRUE and FALSE states. Half a century later, the British mathematician Alan Turing explored the limits of algorithms and computation. His most important contribution was to develop the concept of a universal machine.
In late 1930s, Claude Shannon, a mathematician at MIT showed that operations and information can be reduced to Boolean logic and then to hardware. It paved the way for the age of Electronic Digital Computers.

Regards,
Prof. Prabir Banerjee
Faculty,
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering,
Heritage Institute of Technology,
Kolkata.

Image source: https://cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall16/CSCI-UA.0004-004/bootstrap_computer_history_new/images/carousel/atanasoff.jpg

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